World
BepiColombo Achieves Historic Close Encounter with Mercury
BepiColombo has made history with its close encounter with Mercury, providing unprecedented data and insights about the planet. Discover the mission’s significance, the technology behind it, and what this means for our understanding of the solar system.
Exciting Close Encounter with Mercury
On Thursday, a remarkable milestone was achieved when a spacecraft operated by the European Space Agency in collaboration with Japan made its closest approach to Mercury to date. This significant event resulted in the transmission of high-resolution, black-and-white images of the planet’s desolate, cratered surface as the sun rose over it. The spacecraft, known as BepiColombo, provided scientists with their first detailed views of Mercury’s elusive south pole.
Among the striking features captured were several prominent craters, including some that exhibit fascinating rings of peaks encircling the basins. David Rothery, a volcanologist at the Open University in England, affectionately refers to Mercury as the “Lord of the Peak Rings,” emphasizing its unique geological characteristics.
Dr. Rothery expressed his enthusiasm for the flyby, stating, “The latest flyby was nothing short of perfect. It exceeded my expectations, showcasing details that I had hoped to see but did not anticipate would be so clear.” This sentiment was echoed by Johannes Benkhoff, the project scientist for BepiColombo at the European Space Agency. He shared his exhilaration in an email, saying, “The new images made me shout for joy! It is such a relief to see that everything functioned as planned.”
BepiColombo is a collaborative mission between the European and Japanese space agencies, having launched in 2018. The spacecraft is slated to enter orbit around Mercury in 2026, which is a year later than originally intended. This delay was necessitated by ongoing efforts to address issues with the spacecraft’s thrusters, ensuring a successful mission ahead.